Secretary Of Defense Austin III Seeks Presidential Approval For Mandatory Troop Vaccinations By Mid September
President Joe Biden asked Austin to consider how and when the COVID-19 vaccine could be added to the list of required vaccines for all service members when the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus began to cause a spike in cases on July 29. Austin, who was in Vietnam when the president made his speech on the subject, promised to "not let grass grow" as he made his decision."Our men and women in uniform who protect this country from grave threats should be protected as much as possible from getting COVID-19," Biden said during his July 29 speech.
Congress Passes Bill To Help Vets With Mental Health Conditions Get Service Dogs
A bill to connect more veterans with service dogs trained to support mental health conditions is headed to President Joe Biden's desk. The Senate on Friday passed the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers, or PAWS, for Veterans Therapy Act, which requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a pilot program for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to train service dogs.The bill also allows -- but does not require -- the VA to provide service dogs to vets with mental health conditions. Having passed the House in May, the bill now goes to the president to become law.
VA Continues To Struggle With Military Sexual Assault Claims: VAOIG Report
The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to have difficulty with the "special challenge" of processing military sexual trauma-related claims, according to a report released Thursday by the VA Office of Inspector General. Errors during claim processing, and a failure to implement recommendations from a 2018 IG report, resulted in the VA prematurely denying benefits to potentially thousands of veterans, the report found. Overall, the VA estimates roughly 57 percent of denied military sexual trauma claims were still not processed correctly, an increase from 49 percent during a similar review in 2018.
Big VA Budget Boost on Track as Senate Panel Backs $270 Billion Spending Plan
By: Leo Shane III, MilitaryTimes
Senate appropriators on Wednesday backed White House plans for another substantial boost in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs next year, signaling strong support for the idea across congressional chambers.
The committee also supported plans from the administration and House appropriators to spend about $11 billion in military construction projects next year, even as lawmakers continue to argue over the total level of defense spending for fiscal 2022.
"[This plan] enhances readiness and quality of life for servicemembers and their families, and funds quality care and benefits for our nation's veterans," said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. and chairman of the appropriations committee's panel on VA spending.
"Homelessness services and prevention will be continued with this funding, and it makes a historic level of investment in medical research."
The VA/Military Construction bill passed by a 25-5 vote, with most Republican votes against the measure focused largely on complaints about the budgeting process and not the specifics of the spending plan.
If approved by the full House and Senate later this year, the legislation would boost discretionary spending for Veterans Affairs by nearly 9 percent (to about $113 billion) and raise total department spending to nearly $270 billion next year, the largest in history.
That would mark yet another substantial funding increase for a department that has seen uninterrupted raises for the last 20 years.
In fiscal 2001, the VA budget totaled about $45 billion. By fiscal 2011, it was about $125 billion, almost triple that total. Ten years later, in 2021, the department's budget was nearly double that again, at $245 billion.
The Senate Appropriations Committee plan is about $200 million less than what House lawmakers approved last week for VA spending next year, with small differences in medical program spending. House appropriators added that money to President Joe Biden's budget proposal released in May.
The committee added language to the bill which would rescind federal rules prohibiting VA doctors from discussing medical cannabis use with patients. The idea has been floated by lawmakers multiple times in recent years, but failed to become law.
Within the Senate plan, $13.1 billion would be set aside for veterans mental health care services, $2.4 billion for expanded telehealth services, $2.1 billion for veterans homelessness prevention efforts and $1.4 billion for VA's program supporting caregivers.
Another $2.5 billion would be set aside for implementation of VA's new electronic medical records overhaul plan, which was halted earlier this summer after department officials found serious flaws with their training and deployment schedule. House lawmakers had approved $100 million more for that work, above the president's request.
"By providing record-level funding for our veterans, we are demonstrating our commitment to addressing critical challenges they face including preventing veteran suicide, increasing rural access to health care, investing in essential mental health programs, and putting an end to veteran homelessness," Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark. and ranking member of the appropriations committee's panel on VA spending, said in a statement.
As it has in recent years, the bill also includes about $267 billion in advance appropriations for VA in fiscal 2023, to ensure that potential Capitol Hill fiscal fights do not disrupt VA medical care or benefits delivery.
On the military construction side, about $1.4 billion of the $11 billion total would be set aside for improvements and maintenance for military housing.
Despite the bipartisan vote out of committee, the future of the VA and military construction budget bill remains uncertain. During Wednesday's hearing, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he plans to block the spending bills on the chamber floor until his party gets concessions on military spending.
"Our Democratic colleagues must commit to respecting parity," he said. "National security and border security need to grow at parity with non-defense [agencies] within an overall number that we can all accept. The Senate cannot be writing budgets based on the president's partisan budget request with cuts to defense funding."
Senate appropriators have signaled they may support increasing military spending over the $715 billion mark set in Biden's budget, but House appropriators have already approved plans for a defense budget at that level for next fiscal year.
IMPORTANT TO REITERATE: AFSA Delegates Vote to Approve 2021-2022 Legislative Platform, Open Letter, and Annual Resolution at 2021 Legislative Forum!
Pictured (Left to Right): AFSA International President, Mike Carton, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman, Mark Takano, AFSA Legislative Committee Chairman, Dr. Jim Crissinger, AFSA Executive Director, Keith A. Reed
As you may be aware, from July 24 to 29, the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA) hosted over 2,000 Airmen and Guardians and senior enlisted leaders of the Air and Space Forces at the 2021 Professional Education and Development Symposium (PEDS) in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.
Chairman Takano making formal remarks at the 2021 Legislative Forum.
On Sunday, July 25, AFSA delegates convened to take part in our annual Legislative Forum with a member of Congress - where we made a formal presentation of our L. Mendel Rivers Award to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, received an up-to-the-minute update from our Policy Advisor, Matthew Schwartzman, and voted on the AFSA's 2021-2022 Legislative Platform, Open Letter, and Annual Resolution.
This year's Legislative Platform saw a total of six modifications that were approved unanimously. In addition to an aesthetic change to the document, the following additions were made to modernize the Platform to address pressing issues in the field:
To ensure proposed military medical billet cuts, any other uniformed/civilian/contracted medical personnel reductions and/or military treatment facility downsizing, or closures are not implemented until DoD presents to Congress a thorough analysis of civilian care availability and plan to mitigate impacts on readiness and beneficiary care.
To monitor transition of MTF administration to DHA and secure a transparent analysis and report on access to care at the MTF level as well as beneficiary problem tracking and resolution.
To support DoD's encouragement for States to engage in immediate actions to fully implement military spouse licensure laws; to attain a baseline of getting military spouses a license in 30 days based on minimal documentation; to seek long-term solutions for reciprocity through compacts.
To increase USAF and military oversight of privatized and government owned family housing and barracks to ensure quality housing is provided, health and safety hazards are properly addressed, abated, and prevented, and utility rates are equitable.
To reverse trends in (and ultimately end) the national tragedy that is suicide among service members past and present and their families; to expand research into core causes, risk factors, and protective factors for suicide among veterans, caregivers, service members and their families; to pursue further legislation and funding for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as treatment of persistent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) for veterans through VA.
This year's open letter to Congress addressed pending legislation before the 117th Congress on toxic exposure - specifically, the COST of War Act of 2021 and Honoring ourPACT Act of 2021.
In short, the letter respectfully requests Congressional consideration of the following:
Expand a presumption of service connection to include K-2 vetarans
Ensure health care personnel and processors of claims have adequate training with respect to toxic exposure veterans
Provide for reevaluations of claims for compensation involving certain presumptions of service connection
Require consultation with congressionally chartered, membership-based Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) on select appointments to de jure advisory bodies that make determinations on presumptions.
To read the Open Letter in its entirety, please click here.
And, lastly, our Annual Resolution addresses one of the most important issues to our members - that of TRICARE beneficiary cost shares. In short, with the approval of the 2021 Annual Resolution, the AFSA will continue to urge decision-makers to:
Oppose future TRICARE fee increases.
Ensure any programmatic revision to TRICARE and its managed care support contract structure does not force beneficiaries to incur any additional costs.
Separate the costs of providing health care to TRICARE beneficiaries from the costs of ensuring readiness.
Improve the transparency of readiness funding.
Reprogram appropriate apportionments of funds from year-end savings back into the TRICARE program or to beneficiaries to lower their health care costs
To read the Annual Resolution in its entirety, please click here.
If you have any questions about any of the documents aforementioned, please reach out to AFSA's Policy Advisor, Matthew Schwartzman, at mschwartzman@hqafsa.org.
We are pleased to share the AFSA Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay procedures and marketing materials to help share the process with our members, your membership and potential new recruits.
The Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay program creates an opportunity to JOIN AFSA or RENEW a membership by making a $36 once-a-year/every-year auto payment, or a $4-each-month/every- month auto payment. The $36 once-a-year option is set at $36, and the $4-a-month option includes a bank processing fee of $1 each month.
Review the two ways to enroll, the benefits to using the auto-pay option, and the marketing materials to help share the details of this program and ensure its success.
For questions, please contact AFSAHQ Member & Field team at 800-638-0594 x 288.
Please Update Your Contact Information Today!
Dear Air Force Sergeants Association Member,
In order for the AFSA to effectively communicate with our members, it is essential to ensure we have your current and / or valid e-mail address. We are in the process of updating our records and need your help! Please take a moment to ensure that we have your most current mail and email address (no .mil's); and accurate membership listing information.
We've made it easy, as you can update your information in either one of three ways:
Call Member & Field Relations team directly at 800-638-0594 x 288 (Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST)
Email to: msvcs@hqafsa.org
Visit www.hqafsa.org and select the UPDATE button on the right
We thank you in advance for your support and prompt updates.
In sum, the Senate unanimously passed the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act. In short, this bill authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to create a pilot program on dog training therapy based on the promising "train the trainer model," that will provide dog-training skills and service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses, regardless of whether or not they have mobility issues.
According to a report from the Department of Veteran's Affairs, the number of veterans with mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use orders increased from 27 percent in 2001 to more than 40 percent in 2014, and an average of 20 veterans per day died by suicide in 2014. The bipartisan PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act aims to reduce veteran suicide connected to mental health conditions by partnering veterans experiencing symptoms of PTSD and other post-deployment issues with service dogs through a Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program.
Our Military and Government Relations Team is currently in the process of sifting through the House Committee Personnel mark-up of the FY2022 NDAA to cross-analyze its provisions w/ the SASC full-committee mark issued just a couple of weeks ago. We will make sure to keep you posted as we move through this process together.
And that's the way it is for Tuesday, August 10, 2021.
Stay tuned for our next M&G-B, where we will continue to keep you in the loop on all things pertinent to the coronavirus, veterans, active-duty members, guard and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!
